In the 19th century in Russia there occurred a drastic change in Jewish life whose ripple effects are still felt today. For the first time in perhaps seven or eight centuries Jews orchestrated a direct confrontation with traditional Judaism.

In the 1800s, the Czar of Russia dealt with his “Jewish problem” in three ways: conversion, emigration and destruction. Through a series of harsh decrees Jews would convert to Russian Orthodoxy, emigrate out of Russia or face destruction.

According to Kabbalistic tradition 1648 was destined to be a messianic year, and hopes for the coming of the messiah were raised throughout the Jewish world. It is, therefore, ironic that in 1648 a Messiah did reveal himself and gained wide popularity throughout the Jewish world – but caused a disaster of historic proportions, the […]

Among the Jews who left Spain during the expulsion in 1492 was a boy not even 13 who would become one of the great figures in the history of the Jewish people, Rabbi Joseph Caro (sometimes spelled Karo).
By the time of his death in approximately 1575 it could be said that from the time of Maimonides until his time no person had a greater and longer lasting influence on the Jewish people. He was not only the giant of his age, and all the ages since.

The Golden Age of the Jews in Spain can be symbolized by one person, arguably the greatest person that the people produced from the time of the Talmud until our day: Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, also known as Maimonides or the Rambam. The epitaph on his grave reads, “From Moses to Moses, there arose none […]

When Constantine, the emperor of Rome, became a Christian it meant that the empire became Christian, with momentous consequences for the Jewish and pagan worlds. As Jews began to establish an autonomous way of life and put down deep roots in Babylon — a place at the far end of the Roman Empire and insulated […]

From a sect of Jews to a world dominating religion that defeated the Roman Empire, the story of Christianity is – for better or worse – intimately intertwined with Jewish history. In the beginning of the second century it looked as if Christianity would die out. Many of them were Essenes, who believed in celibacy. […]

The shift of Jewish life from Israel to Babylon marked a transitional period fraught with danger. Luckily, such leaders emerged and set the foundation for Jewish life until today. Rabbi Judah the Prince marks the end of a period known as the era of the Tannaim, which lasted approximately until 200 CE. A Tanna (pl. […]

The Mishnah Rabbi Judah the Prince was not only wealthy and head of the Sanhedrin. His greatest accomplishment transcended the time in which he lived. That was Mishnah. The Mishnah is the first written record of what was the Oral Law. As the name implies, the Oral Law was never written down as a formalized […]

Out of the suffering of the Bar Kochba holocaust Jewish leaders emerged who made it possible for the Jewish people to survive into the long night of exile. After the demise of Bar Kochba the Jews prepared themselves for a long exile. Indeed, had Hadrian lived longer there is no telling what would have happened […]

Rabbi Akiva arguably represents a combination of everything that is heroic about the Jewish people more than anyone else. At the least, he is one of the most beloved figures in Jewish history, a person whose influence and stature is a source of inspiration throughout all of the ages.

After the destruction, the surviving Jewish leaders tried and were able to reestablish relations with Rome rather rapidly. It is remarkable considering that the Romans had never suffered as many casualties in any of their wars. They had never experienced such as bitter war as the ten year war they had with the Jews. Therefore, […]

The destruction of the Temple, and the subsequent destruction of the national entity of the Jewish people, occurred to a great degree because of warfare among the Jews themselves. The warring groups besieged in Jerusalem destroyed all hopes of victory. In the midst of all the carnage, the leadership of the Jewish people passed, on […]

The Times of the Roman War As Roman corruption and culture destroyed the social fabric of Jewish life, Judea revolted. But horrific in-fighting among Jews doomed the spirited rebellion. At the death of Agrippa I (Herod Agrippa) in 44 CE, the Jewish people were divided very sharply into warring factions: the Sicarii were the Jewish […]

Was the Persian king Cyrus who permitted the Jews to return to their land and rebuild their Temple Jewish? This is just one of the questions and intrigues surrounding the beginning of Jewish history in the Second Commonwealth.

Human nature and the nature of miracles The watershed of Jewish history is the exodus from Egypt. Over and over again the Torah commands: “Remember the day of your exodus from Egypt.” It is not just an historic event – it is the historic event in Jewish life. It is the event that made the […]

Eerie parallels between the situation of the Jews in Egypt and Nazi Germany There are three ways to tell the story of the Jewish people in Egypt. One is to tell it from the perspective of the hieroglyphics of the time, i.e. from the perspective of ancient Egypt. If we were to tell the story […]

Understanding ancient Egypt is important to grasping the backdrop of the Bible Egypt was the exception to the rule in the ancient world in the sense that it was fully self-sufficient. All the other countries in the Near East and Mesopotamia were dependent upon war, trade or expansion of the economy to feed themselves. Egypt […]

The story of Joseph’s sale into slavery, rise to prominence and reconciliation with his brothers is one of the most dramatic in world literature. Beyond the facts is a deep message about the human condition.

What it takes to become the “man of truth” Jacob completes the period of the Patriarchs. He is the bridge between the Jewish family and the Jewish nation, where the small family group expands into a large and great people. He is the true father of the people of Israel to an extent that cannot […]

Why he embodies the “survivor” personality Isaac lived in a less turbulent time than his father. The Canaanite Empire had solidified itself and the great, raging wars that had existed in Abraham’s time (Genesis 14) had ceased. Egypt was the sleeping giant. It was in the preliminary stages of becoming the dominant Empire we know […]

The man who really did change the course of history There are singular personalities in the history of the world who change the course of civilization. The primary example of such a person is Abraham. He changed the way the world thought about itself, life and especially the Creator. That is why his name, in […]

The Great Flood The story of the flood, found in many ancient civilizations, is etched into the collective consciousness of humankind, feeding our fears of a world-ending cataclysmic event. That only makes the biblical account more relevant than ever. Almost all ancient civilizations have a story about a great flood that wiped out civilization. For […]

The Dawn of Civilization There are many theories how the human race began. Relatively recently, Science concluded that all of us share a common female ancestor. In recognition of the biblical account they even called her Eve. The Torah’s account of Adam and Eve is meant as a primer on the human condition. Among the […]